Key defender Charlie Comben will need to prove his fitness if he’s to return to North Melbourne’s side for Sunday's Round 8 clash with Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.

Comben was a late withdrawal before the Kangaroos' match against Greater Western Sydney on Sunday due to illness.

"Charlie had been sick during the week and was put in conservative management at the back end of the week to assist recovery," North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White said.

"He’ll look to get back to 100 per cent this week and put his hand up for selection."

Young Roo River Stevens is set for an extended stint on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury early in the VFL team's loss to the Giants.

“After an early incident, River’s knee locked up and couldn’t function,” White said.

“Scans revealed some meniscus damage which he had repaired on Monday afternoon. 

“His timeline for a return to play is estimated to be 6-8 weeks pending progress through his rehab program."

The in-form Zac Fisher (hamstring) has been ruled out for at least three weeks after also suffering an injury in the same first quarter.

"Scans on Monday confirmed a strain which will see Zac in a period of rehab for the short term before setting up for a return to play," White said. 

Luke Urquhart’s path to a return from a knee issue has become clearer.

The young midfielder is yet to play competitive minutes since both the VFL and AFL seasons begun but is coming off a positive week of training and high-intensity football loading.

"We will look to build on this over the next two weeks with strong training sessions and close monitoring of his knee recovery from those sessions," White said.

Robert Hansen jnr remains unavailable as he continues to experience adductor soreness.

"He’ll maintain a similar level of programming for the short term until he passes his end-stage testing," White said.

Injury List

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Player	Injury	Estimated Return
30. Charlie Comben	Illness	Test
14. Luke Urquhart	Knee	1-2 weeks
16. Zac Fisher	Hamstring	3-4 weeks
36. River Stevens	Knee	6-8 weeks
46. Robert Hansen jnr	Groin	TBC
23. Blake Thredgold	Foot	TBC
34. Jackson Archer	Knee	Season

30. Charlie Comben

Injury: Illness

Est. Return: Test

14. Luke Urquhart

Injury: Knee

Est. Return: 1-2 weeks

16. Zac Fisher

Injury: Hamstring

Est. Return: 3-4 weeks

36. River Stevens

Injury: Knee

Est. Return: 6-8 weeks

46. Robert Hansen jnr

Injury: Groin

Est. Return: TBC

23. Blake Thredgold

Injury: Foot

Est. Return: TBC

34. Jackson Archer

Injury: Knee

Est. Return: Season

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